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National Security Agency Director and U.S. Cyber Command chief Gen. Keith Alexander warned that cyberattacks against U.S. critical infrastructure will continue if Congress fails to pass a bill requiring information-sharing between government and industries. "Somebody who has a database that can look at the foreign and the domestic numbers can ... get the information back quickly and can tell you where there's a threat and where there's not," Alexander said. But the chances of passing major cybersecurity legislation this year are dim, according to Roll Call.

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ICIS has released its annual Top 100 Chemical Companies listing, and BASF again emerged on top. Following in second is China-based Sinopec, which has moved up from 29th place in 2002. ExxonMobil Chemical, Dow Chemical, DuPont and Mitsubishi Chemical are also among the top 10.

Senators are working to rally Republican support for limiting debate on the Shaheen-Portman energy-efficiency bill if they are assured votes on certain amendments. "I've begun to develop this kind of discussion with senators around the idea that there ought to be an opportunity for senators to offer their amendments, and when senators see that they get a chance to offer their amendment, they'll vote for cloture," said Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore. The move comes after a different tactic to advance the bill failed earlier this week.

President Barack Obama has nominated Debra Miller as a Surface Transportation Board member as Commissioner Francis Mulvey's term has expired. If confirmed, Miller, of transportation consulting firm Cambridge Systematics, would serve on the three-member board through 2017.

Controversy over the National Security Agency's surveillance programs is hampering efforts to advance a House bill on cybersecurity, according to this analysis. "I think that the recent disclosures about the NSA's conduct have put back the [cybersecurity] debate and they've changed it. They've made it harder to pass cybersecurity legislation that has an information-sharing component," said Greg Nojeim of the Center for Democracy and Technology.

Entrepreneurs can learn from valuable lessons from Wally De Backer, better known by the stage name Gotye, who is the artist behind the hit song "Somebody That I Used To Know," Anthony Wing Kosner writes. For example, De Backer chose to work with a big label, which is the music industry equivalent of bringing in venture capital money. "Although it is important to bootstrap for as long as possible to maintain control of your product, it is critical to know when you are ready to finance its growth," Kosner writes.